Grazing animals and stewardship of grazing lands will be presented by experts from Nebraska and four other states at the 11th Nebraska Grazing Conference at the Kearney Holiday Inn Aug. 9-10.
Opening remarks will be delivered Aug. 9 by Ronnie Green, University of Nebraska vice president and Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Harlan vice chancellor. Greg Judy of Green Pastures Farm in Clark, Mo., will give three talks over the two days covering production, marketing and stewardship aspects of grazing management. Addressing how to maximize gain on grass will be Jason Rowntree from Michigan State University.
Also on the Aug. 9 program is Chip Ramsey with the Rex Ranch of Ashby, who will discuss developing baseline financial and production data. Organizing to benefit prairie ecosystems is the topic of a panel from Kansas that includes ranchers and a representative of the U..S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Concurrent sessions will be held the first day, one on use of by-products on pasture and the other on habitat management as it relates to grazing.
The banquet speaker Tuesday evening will be Jim Stubbendieck from UNL, who will give a slide show illustrating dynamic vegetation changes in the state over several decades.
The Aug. 10 program includes presentations on winter grazing yearlings on cornstalks and pasture residue, controlling invasive species using prescribed burns, and impacts of multi-species grazing. The second day also will feature members of the Kalkowski family, who will describe some of the management practices that led to it being named the 2010 Leopold Conservation Award winner. Greg Judy will close the conference with his presentation on working with landowners to achieve grazing and wildlife enhancements.
Registration is $80 if postmarked by Aug. 1 and $95 afterward. One-day registrations are also available, and walk-ins are welcome. Reduced registration fees are offered for full-time high school or college students. Registration fees will be paid by the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources for students who will still be in high school this fall and who pre-register by the Aug. 1 deadline.
Hotel reservations can be made by contacting the Holiday Inn at (308) 237-5971 and specifying the Nebraska Grazing Conference for appropriate rates.
More information is available at Nebraska Grazing Conference, or from the UNL Center for Grassland Studies at (402) 472-4101, email grassland@unl.edu, or your local UNL extension office.
This year's conference is dedicated to the memory of extension educator Terry Gompert, who was one of the founders and a frequent speaker at the conference.
The annual event is sponsored by several public and private organizations, including the 2011 conference underwriters – Farm Credit Services of America, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Grassland Studies.
More details at: http://grassland.unl.edu/web/grassland/nebraskagrazingconference